Never underestimate the power of perseverance.

Ammon Allen is certainly a testimony to that.

“Zone Read” recently caught up with the former Highland High star, now NAU All-Big Sky performer to discuss his college journey to Flagstaff, the long road back from a several devastating injuries (which occurred on one spring practice day), the now top-10-ranked Jacks’ big home win last week over then #2 Montana and much more.  

Last time you and I talked, you were still at UofA. Take us through your path from that point, to now being at NAU. “So, I entered the portal in 2023, after that season. Coach Ball was the coach at NAU at the time, but he got fired. The internal coach, Kyle Hofman, I knew him. We were pretty close. He brought me in and introduced me to coach Brian Wright, who got hired three days before I could go on a visit.

“I came up for my visit, talked to him, and really, from that point forward, I felt in my heart this is the culture and the man I want to play for. What he envisioned for this team really resonated with me. 

“This ultimately felt like home to me and it’s been a huge blessing being up here.”

Are you surprised at how quickly Coach Wright has been able to elevate the program? “He’s turning this program into a professional level program. We have high-level standards and values that we follow, which has ultimately created success for us, which I love.

“He’s an amazing coach, but an even better man. He truly loves, respects, and cares every individual. That just makes us play harder for him.”

You’ve had to overcome a gruesome injury the past two years – you dislocated your knee, tore your ACL, both in your lateral and medial meniscus, and ruptured bone cartilage in his knee. That’s almost unfathomable to me. This all happened in spring ball? “Yep. We were scrimmaging. The first play of the scrimmage I’m blitzing off the edge and I plant, just jump to re-direct and try to pick the ball off on a screen.

“On that plant, my knee couldn’t take the force from the amount of pressure I was under. My femur went one way, and my tibia stayed in the ground. It dislocated right off the socket, and then snapped back in. I just felt the bones go through the muscle fibers. It was just crazy.”

Outside the physical challenges involved in a rehab like that, how did those hurdles impact you mentally? “I’ve said this before, ‘the process is the process,’ and there’s no getting away from that. If you want to be successful at anything in life, it takes what it takes. There have been plenty of sacrifices that I’ve had to make the last two years of my life to get to where I am now. 

“There have been plenty of days when it seemed like I was going nowhere with my rehab, even backwards. But it’s just sticking to the process and having faith that it’s all going to work out. I just had to keep pushing through pain and believe in myself.”

Was there ever a time that you thought you’d never play football again? “To be real with you, there were nights when I was doing rehab and my knee would just crack and pop. I prayed to God every night that I’d wake up in the morning one percent better. If I can just get one percent better every single day. 

“Some of those nights were really tough. I didn’t know if I was ever going to play again. That can get to your head, for sure.”

You’ve been back for a hand full of games this season, your redshirt senior year, do you feel like you’re 100 percent yet? “For the most part, I’m back. I’m missing a little bit of athleticism and twitch in that left leg. It’s going to take game reps to get that back. When you don’t play a game for two years, it’s going to dwindle. 

“I have faith, in the next few games, it’s going to keep coming back.”

How sweet was it getting that first interception in your big road win at Idaho State a couple of weeks ago? “That was an amazing feeling. (laughing) Technically it wasn’t my play or my job. Technically, the running back did a wheel and I was supposed to be manned on the running back but, throughout the game, they were keeping the running back in and he was blocking. That one play I let my eyes deceive me (laughing).

“But…the quarterback didn’t see him. I saw the drag coming across the middle and was thinking, ‘this is going to be a kill shot.’ As soon as it got tipped up, I jumped up and grabbed it. I felt athletic again. The adrenaline was running.

“That felt amazing.”

You’ve now completed the Arizona trifecta, playing and living in Phoenix (Queen Creek), Tucson, and Flagstaff – the state’s three biggest cities the past handful of years. No, in all seriousness, what’s it been like being at NAU, besides football? “It’s beautiful, and the people are so nice up here. I don’t know if nature calms people, but nobody is yelling at one another, people are driving slower, enjoying life.

“Going on hikes. I’ve been wanting to hike Mount Humphrey’s but my knee would swell up way too much. I’ve got to put that off for the next few years when I come visit. You wake up every day and you smell pines. It’s a huge blessing. It’s easy to enjoy life.”

Your quarterback, Ty Pennington, who coach Wright brought with him from Pitt State, has been phenomenal, and maybe even outdid himself Saturday against Montana. You go against him every day in practice, how special of a player is he? “He’s a very poised and calm athlete. He likes to stay in the pocket, but when the play breaks down, he’s not afraid to tuck it and take off. He’s not sliding, he’s diving for extra yardage, running people over.

“He will put the team on his back to win games. He’s been in a boot around campus after he hurt his toe a couple weeks ago. He comes to practice, takes his boot off and goes. He’s a tough dude…everybody respects him. He’s a person I see getting drafted (next) year.”

I know your old defensive coordinator at Highland, Jason Lyons, had a big impact on your life – both on and off the field. What has he meant to you as you’ve balanced the highs and lows the past few years? “Playing for him, he instilled how to be a man. Practices were hard, but he instilled love in us. I think one of the biggest things coaches can offer is love and care for athletes that’s true and genuine. When people feel love and respected with a purpose, that can create great success.

Being able to play for Coach Lyons, and Coach (Brock) Farrell, I have a connection with both of those coaches, and I will continue to have a connection with them my entire life because of the men they are and how they treated and cared for me growing up.”   

The post Zone Read: NAU Linebacker Ammon Allen Unplugged first appeared on Sports360AZ.



–